Indian "From All Purity"

Today's album is Indian's From All Purity. 

Good album cover.

1. "Rape". Brutal way to start the album. Chaotic screams signal a shift in the drone. The drum beat is a slow, repetitive crash. Guitars mess with feedback throughout. There's no sense of urgency with the pace, but that doesn't matter. The doom/sludge label seems accurate for Indian. The vocals portray a sense of hopelessness.

2. "The Impetus Bleeds". Slowly. And painfully. Since I'm an idiot, I had to look up what impetus meant. Apparently it's the force that causes something to move. It also might be a Portuguese underwear company. Either way, it is not something that should bleed. If it does start bleeding, expect a gradual death. Although the guitars provide a sense of melody in this one. So expect a slow death, with a hint of melody. Unlike "Rape".

3. "Directional". I imagine that the direction will ultimately be down. But in the beginning of this track there is some swirling sounds going on that seem to knock you around in different directions.

4. "Rhetoric of No". This track seems more urgent. Pace is picked up. Halfway through the tempo is brought back, as the quicksand seems to capture you again. The more you fight, the deeper you sink, so it makes sense to just do nothing and deal with it. It's probable that no one is coming to help you though. A guitar solo tries, but that gets sucked back in as well.

5. "Clarify". More experimentation with feedback. Indian so far represents the exact opposite of clarity, which makes clarification difficult. Lots of stray noises in this one.

6. "Disambiguation". We reached the end somehow. This one starts off in the opposite way of "Rape". Less in your face, and more musical. It does seem like a crescendo is trying to form. But it seems like it will never be allowed to make an appearance. More stuff getting sucked deep into the pit. There is likely to be a substantial rot occurring in the Indian pit. Blast beats emerge sporadically near the end of the track. Followed by pure evil. This song hints at what there could have been, but also reminding you that you will never have it.

Solid album. I wish there was more to it.

Grade: 4 out of 5 decapitated goats.

Top Tracks:

1. The Impetus Bleeds
2. Rape
3. Rhetoric of No

Wold "Postsocial"

Today's album was recommended by Pitchfork. It is Wold's Postsocial.

1. "Throwing Star". I had to check my headphones input a couple of times to make sure that it was actually plugged in. It is. This first track is disorienting. Wolf Eyes-ish with metal vocals. I'm not sure if there is a drummer, or someone just shaking a piece of plywood. According to that Pitchfork review, Wold is a band that relocated to Rhode Island from Saskatchewan. I have summarized this move in pictures!

2. "Inner Space Infirmary". It's hard to really describe what's going on. It's like your stuck in a crowded bus terminal while experiencing swimmer's ear. I've never experienced swimmer's ear, so maybe I'm making that up. Everything is kind of muffled. It's probably the soundtrack of our new postsocial world. Eventually one voice breaks through your inability to hear and you realize this new voice is upset about something. Or everything. Maybe his bus trip was cancelled. Pitchfork claims that Wold is fronted by something named Fortress Crookedjaw.  That is pretty great.

3. "Five Points". This one starts with the singer screaming five points over and over again. It sounds like the screams are coming through an old television that sits in the basement of an abandoned house that turned on by itself. There is something urgent about these five points.

4. "Spiral Star Inversion". Eventually you get on your bus, and it leaves the terminal. The problem is there is no driver. When you look out the window, there's really not any scenery. You're definitely going somewhere, but it's impossible to make out where exactly. That same screaming voice emerges again. Is this the bus driver? There is some sort of weird conversation going on in this song. It's between the evil bus driver and possibly the evil bus driver's mother? It is definitely schizophrenic.

5. "Sapphire Sect of Tubal Cain". Somehow made it to the last track. Tubal Cain is a biblical name I guess. He's a descendent of Cain, and worked with metal, possibly making weapons for war. 

This album is great. If you like experiments with noises, this would work.

Grade: 5 out of 5 decapitated goats

Top Tracks: 

1. Spiral Star Inversion

2. Five Points

3. Inner Space Infirmary

Gaza "I Don't Care Where I go When I Die"

Today's album is Gaza's I Don't Care Where I go When I Die.

1. "Calf". Guitars chaotically chop back and forth through a couple different chords. Deep screams. Lots of change ups. Vocal attacks from all angles. In news not related to this album, I sliced a part of my thumb open with a rusty hand saw. It was an accident.

2. "I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die". A lady seductively says "I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die." This triggers insanity. Lots of screaming that sounds like crying. Whoever is crying may not care where they go when they die, but they do currently disagree with whatever is happening at this moment.

3. "Hospital Fat Bags". Weird song title. A ton of energy on this one. I wonder if this band is able to play for more than 20 minutes live. Naming your band Gaza makes it difficult to search for your website. Although I guess it's not that difficult if you add "(band)". This song slows way down halfway through, so I guess they didn't even have the energy to complete the song at the same pace. I guess the change of pace makes a live show more possible. Although wikipedia says they broke up last year, so I guess you won't have to worry about how good they are live.

4. "Gristle". The pace is back. Gaza is kind of great. The fact that they are from Utah makes it that much better.

5. "Sire". Things are turned upside down again, and this time you are thrown completely into a horror movie. Evil is chasing you from all angles. There really is nothing you can do. Halfway through it is apparent you are caught, and the torture begins.

6. "Slutmaker". Ah, the ol' slutmaker. Man, this song starts off back in your face. "Sire" ended with a mellow patch, but Gaza is real fired up about something on "Slutmaker". STOP MAKING SLUTS!

7. "Hell Crown". Gaza sounds a little bit like Everytime I Die. I think I like Gaza better. I think part of this song was sung through an electrolarynx. The end of the song has these cool guitar scale sounding thing that accompanies vocals that get deeper after each scale is played. It's pretty cool.

8. "Moth". Gaza is freaking out because they saw a moth? Gaza does not like slutmakers or moths.

9. "Cult". More of the same. Seizures.

10. "Pork Finder". Wikipedia says: The band formed in Salt Lake City intending to be an indie band but, according to then-bassist Jon Parkin, that "lasted about half a practice".  This is a good thing.

This album is chaos. 

Grade: 5 out of 5 decapitated goats.

Top Tracks: 

1. Calf
2. Hell Crown
3. Sire

Havok "Unnatural Selection"

Today's album is Havok's Unnatural Selection.

1. "I Am The State". Thrash! Not a huge fan of the vocals. But I do like the music. Maybe the vocals will grow on me. Kind of a generic thrashy guitar solo at the end.

2. "Give Me Liberty...Or Give Me Death". Ellipsis in the title! Pretty straightforward thrash punk going on. Probably a real fun band to see live, if you like running in circles in a mosh pit. "Death to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights"..."The founding fathers would be rolling in their graves if they saw what you were doing to this place". To be fair, the founding fathers were a bunch of paranoid racists, Havok. I'm cool that the band is questioning/calling out today's government with its rampant abuse of individual rights, but I don't know if the founding fathers actually established a desirable model to replicate.

3. "It is True". This thrash is coming off a little bit cheesy, but I guess that should be expected from Havoc with a K. I'm not sure I really have a problem with it though. It's fun. They do sell basketball jerseys too:

4. "Under The Gun". "Eventually you gotta do what you gotta do". This song is borderline Kid Rock. Not a fan.

5. "Waste of Life". The last song was kind of a waste of a song, so hopefully this one is a little bit better. The vocals seem to become more and more intolerable as this thing goes on. The vocals are fine when he's screaming, but during verses he's doing this weird singing thing. STICK TO THE SCREAMING! The song ends with the life monitor signaling the end of the waste of life.  Not a great song.

6. "Living Nightmare". The last two tracks have turned this album into a living nightmare, but this song kind of brings it back, as the vocals stick to the scream. This song is good.

7. "Chasing The Edge". Would have been cool if this band actually existed in the 80s.

8. "Worse Than War". A song about genocide and how history repeats itself. "Dehumanize, is becoming so routine". I agree with that, Havok.

9. "Children Of The Grave". The music on this one sounds like old Metallica. It works. Havok seems at its best when it's stuck in the 80s.

10. "Unnatural Selection". According to Spotify, Havok's demo was called "Thrash Can". That's a good name for a thrash demo.

Grade: 3 out of 5 decapitated goats.

That's probably a generous grade due to there being a couple of really bad songs (Under the Gun, Waste of Life) on this album, but the throwback sound is kind of fun.

Top Tracks:

1. Living Nightmare
2. Children of the Grave
3. It is True

Windhand "Windhand"

Today's album is a self-titled one from Windhand.

1. "Black Candles". The song starts with the sound of bugs, thunder, and someone walking. Kind of a stomp walk, like it's tracking something, but also wants that something to know it is tracking it. Doom sludge takes over, with doomy stoner vocals kicking up shortly after. Stoner guitar solo.

2. "Libusen". More rain and thunder starts this one. I wonder if this is a live recording. Deep in the woods on a rainy day. Another sludge of a song. I don't know what Libusen means, so I googled it. Besides the song, a Wikipedia entry for Libuše  came up. While it is likely that Libuše  has nothing to do with Libusen, it's still interesting enough to read. Apparently she established Prague in the 8th century. Her mother may have been an elf.

3. "Heap Wolves". It's raining even harder in the beginning of this song. Not a great day for Windhand. I'm not sure what a heap wolf is, but this image comes up on a google image search.

4. "Summon the Moon". No thunderstorms to kick this one off. Instead there is laughing. What's so funny, Windhand? There is nothing funny when you summon the moon. The lyric of "Heaven is on its way" is sung over and over before breaking into a guitar solo. This is a solid song.

5. "Winter Sun". This song starts with the howl of wind. I wonder if they will provide a conclusion to the little story that has started each song. Will we ever find out who that was walking on "Black Candles"? Was it Heap Wolves? The elf mother of Libuše? I don't think we are meant to find out. This track ends with more brutal vocals that appeared on the rest of the album, so I'm sure we might not want to know. If this is the Heaven that was predicted to be coming on "Summon the Moon", Heaven is not at all like you expected it to be.

Solid doom album. Not spectacular, but you could do a lot worse.

Grade: 3 out of 5 decapitated goats.

Top Tracks: 

1. Summon the Moon
2. Winter Sun
3. Black Candles

Old Man Gloom "NO"

Today's album is Old Man Gloom's NO.

Yes it is.

1. "Grand Inversion". Uncomfortable static noise intro turns into uncomfortable feedback. Feedback succumbs to single notes of an organ

2. "Common Species". "Grand Inversion" blends right into "Common Species, except there are now guitars. Jangly guitars at first. Then death guitars. Accompanied by death vocals. The common species must be death. And Loud. Loudus Deathimus. Old Man Gloom is an angry beast. It also turns out to be a supergroup, started by a dude from ISIS, who was joined by other dudes from Converge and Cave-In. Good stuff from Boston. A slow, brutal version of good stuff. Great panic attack near the end of the song.

3. "Regain/Rejoin". This comes from the band's Band Camp page:

"NO" was made using acoustic and electric instruments including but not limited to: 
sheet metal, toilets, human voices, guitars, drums, tambourines, shoes, hands, various 
other percussive tools, analog and digital electronic devices, and brains.

The Band Camp page also claims that they are the original OMG.

4. "To Carry The Flame". Even cooler than this band, which is certainly cool, is where the name comes from. Meet Zozobra, aka Old Man Gloom, who is a giant marionette effigy that gets burned to the ground by a bunch of crazy New Mexicols.

This song is great.

5. "The Forking Path". This song may have been created with sheet metal and toilets. Here's more information on the burning of Zozobra. And you can burn your own virtual Zozobra here.

6. "Shadowed Hand". More noises on this one. Although I had another window open with the virtual Zozobra, which probably contributed to some of the noises. If you burn him down, virtually, he does this virtual spooky laugh. So virtual. So spooky. "Shadowed Hand" is taking a while to build up, so feel free to burn away your problems. The song eventually turns into a brief church anthem, before it's stripped down to nothing. It builds up near the end, resulting in a solid, experimental song. ExperiMETAL.

7. "Rats". Good name for a song. Always. "Rats" has more sounds. And deep humming. This song is probably another spot where the toilet and sheet metal were utilized. The sounds turn into another good metalcore song. "HUMAN ROACHES/HUMAN RATS/WE'RE NO DIFFERENT/DON'T FORGET". That might not be the actual lyrics, but I imagine I'm pretty close. 

8. "Crescent". Acoustic guitars and singing. And howling sheet metal. I'm usually not a fan of this drastic mix-up, but it sounds good here. Old Man Gloom could make a living as a cranky old folk singer if he had to. 

9. "Shuddering Earth". This song starts with a man shouting. Then the music starts. Old Man Gloom is back to remind you that he is still angry. The folk interlude was brief. At 14:03, this song goes through a lot of changes, and they are all good. This album has officially been burned to the ground. Time to burn it over and over again.

This album mixes things up to avoid having everything sound the same. So I vote YES for NO. OMG!!

Grade: 5 out of 5 decapitated goats (and burning zozobras)

Top Tracks:

1. Common Species

2. To Carry The Flame

3. Shuddering Earth

Swallow the Sun "The Morning Never Came"

Today's album is Swallow the Sun's The Morning Never Came.

1. "Through Her Silvery Body". Starts with a piano lesson. Everything seems quiet and calm. The crunch begins a minute in. Nice melodic octaves, over a slow chug. Deep, evil vocals penetrate the soul. The sound of someone who ate a sun I guess. There is no sign of urgency, as the song takes a methodic and careful approach as it makes its way through her silvery body.

2. "Deadly Nightshade". Perhaps could have also been called Atropa belladonna. Another slow chugger.

3. "Out Of The Gloomy Light". One thing that I'm confused about is why all of these Nordic metal bands use English for their band names and song titles. There's probably a reasonable explanation, but I don't feel like looking it up. Instead I will copy and paste Finland's Coat of arms, as presented by Wikipedia:

4. "Swallow (Horror Pt. 1)". More melodic guitars, more slow pace. I had this on the other day and was more into it than I am right now. It's still solid, but I was hoping for more pace this morning.

5. "Silence of the Womb". Cool change up in the early goings of this. It even changes to regular singing, with the screams in the background. I'm usually not into that kind of mix, but it works real well at this point in the album. The singing experiment is short-lived (which is also good), as the growl continues. It's pretty bad that it has taken me five songs to realize that if you swallow the sun, the morning will never come, as stated by the album's title. At the end of this song, there's creepy talking and a baby crying. As to be expected from a metal song referencing the womb.

6. "Hold This Woe". Piano over more octavey guitar. More singing. Drums kick the singing out. Then the drums chill, and the singing comes back. I'm not sure if I love this, or hate it, but it is a good change of pace from the rest of this album. I'll appreciate it. Metal vocals take over midway through the song. I like that they don't let the singers have too much time to do their singing. No one wants an 8 minute song of singing. 8 minute of decay is perfectly fine. 

7. "Under The Waves". Under the waves you will find more meeeeeetal. And this guy:

8. "The Morning Never Came". More singing. More majestic anthem rock. More solid metal vocals. More slow pace. If you're not in a rush with your metal, this album will work fine.

9. "Solitude (Bonus Track)". A bonus track that starts as a ballad. "Please let me die in solitude" cues the end of the ballad, as the crunch of distortion takes over. I guess the request was denied. This might be the best track.

Grade: 3 out of 5 decapitated goats.

Top Tracks: 

1. Solitude (Bonus Track)

2. Under The Waves

3. Through Her Silvery Body